Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023) 
Director: Sam Fell
Screenwriters: Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell, Rachel Tunnard
Starring: Bella Ramsey, Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Imelda Staunton, Lynn Ferguson, David Bradley, Jane Horrocks, Romesh Ranganathan, Daniel Mays, Josie Sedgwick-Jones, Peter Serafinowicz, Nick Mohammed, Miranda Richardson

On the surface, the original Chicken Run (2000) was a fantastic children’s movie and a feat for animated films. It was 90 minutes of pure feathery fun and righteous chicken anger. The movie had impeccable comedic timing akin to Aardman Studio’s other works like Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep. These movies have a beating heart and soul that has stuck with children and adults alike because of their ability to wrap us in the warm hug of their respective worlds. And still, beneath it all lies something even deeper, something profound. For many millennials and cuspers, Chicken Run was an introduction to Marxism and revolution itself. 

As rebel chicken, Ginger (played by Julia Sawalha in 2000) rallies the hens against tyrannical farmers, she dares them to imagine a world governed only by their own will. “Don’t you get it?” she clucks, “There’s no morning headcount, no dogs, no farmers, no coops and keys, and no fences.” It’s a powerful cry for revolution – a call to rise up against injustice, no matter the cost. Though the film is filled with slapstick humor, its demand to rage against oppression transcends the children’s animation genre, cementing it as a powerful allegory for World War II and universal demands for human (and chicken) rights. 

Needless to say, the sequel, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, was highly anticipated by audiences and critics. Nearly 20 years after the original, the follow-up had big shoes to fill. What lessons would the new Chicken Run teach us? Perhaps something about the rise of fascism? Environmentalism? Maybe it would lead us to the answers we’ve all been searching for in these tumultuous times? Unfortunately, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget takes more of a formulaic follow-up approach than broaching anything remotely groundbreaking. 

In this rendition, Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) and Rocky (Zachary Levi, replacing Mel Gibson) return, now living in an idyllic, poultry utopia. Though they are happy in their new homes, they are closed off from the rest of society. Their daughter, Molly (Bella Ramsey), takes after her mother and dreams of life bigger than their confined existence on the island. Soon, Molly escapes to the mainland and finds herself trapped in a chicken factory called Fun-Land Farm. Now, it’s up to the other chickens to break into the factory, a subversion from the previous film’s breakout. 

Dawn of the Nugget isn’t completely without charm. The animation is beautiful and bright, stepping away from the original film’s muted color palate to favor a more vibrant chicken paradise. Fun-Land Farm is garishly bright, showcasing the false promises of the deceptively named poultry plant. Even the heist-like stunts feel higher stakes and more elaborate. There are more hijinks, slipping, falling, and scrambling than ever. 

Though the scale feels dialled up to 11, the film is missing its original creativity and simplistic but resilient spirit that made it an instant classic. Dawn of the Nugget is much more concerned with simple tropes like breaking away from tradition and marching to the beat of your own drum than anything revolutionary. Its simple premise and resistance to taking risks – both thematically and comedically – make the 101-minute run feel like a bit of a slog. 

It’s a lot to ask of a film – to be both a succinct manifesto about the state of modern politics and revolutionary movements and a hokey comedy about chickens falling on their heads – but it has been done before. Perhaps the reason Dawn of the Nugget felt so flat is the enormous shadow its predecessor casts upon the film. And, in the 20 years in between the first and second editions of Ginger and Rocky’s story, we’ve had plenty of time to fill in the gaps on our own. Dawn of the Nugget is a fine movie to turn on for the kids on a Saturday afternoon, but turn on Chicken Run (2000) and you might just have a revolution on your hands. 

Score: 12/24

Recommended for you: Aardman Animation Movies 2000-2020 Ranked

Wish (2023)
Directors: Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasunthorn
Screenwriters: Jennifer Lee, Allison Moore
Starring: Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Kumiyama, Harvey Guillén, Evan Peters, Ramy Youssef, Jon Rudnitsky

One hundred years of Disney. How does one possibly celebrate such an occasion? The little studio that begun with animated movies about a cartoon mouse (and rabbit) almost one hundred years ago now exists as a behemoth of the entertainment industry, owning half of Hollywood as well as the famed Disneyland and Disneyworld theme parks. With so much power, so much history and so many controversies, what could the company plan for their 100th birthday party release Wish that could possibly pay homage to such a legacy?

After undergoing a five year hiatus from releasing original animated movies between 2016’s Moana and 2021’s Raya and the Last Dragon, Disney have gone back to what they do best, what they are most known for, animation. They have returned to their roots in the past few years and released animated pictures like Raya, Encanto, and Strange World, to varying degrees of success. 

Wish finds itself set in the wonderful kingdom of Rosas, which is ruled by its king Magnifico (Chris Pine). King Magnifico performs a yearly ritual in which once someone turns 18, they can pass their greatest wish onto him and he will protect it and potentially allow it to come true one day. However, once Asha (Ariana DeBose) discovers that Magnifico’s intentions may not be as pure as they seem, she realises that she must do whatever she can to stop him. Even wishing upon a star. 

As is probably obvious from the story of a young girl wishing upon a star, the film finds itself heavily inspired by the famed Disney tune “When You Wish Upon a Star”, which originally featured in Pinocchio but has since become Disney’s signature song. Much like this little reference to the past of the company, the film is also filled to the brim with references that show the journey of Disney from then to now. 

It’s a good idea in scope; a nice way to celebrate the history of the studio whilst pushing forward with the new. This is, however, the only facet of the movie that feels at all genuine.

Whilst Disney were patting themselves on the back for how great their company used to be, they forgot to put heart into any other aspects of Wish. Similar to the hand-drawn animation style that the film attempts to replicate, much of Wish is flat and one dimensional.

This disingenuity is most evident in the film’s characters. The main character Asha (voiced by DeBose in perhaps the only memorable vocal performance of the entire film) is given a bit more depth and personality, but the side characters make it clear what was most important to Disney in the making of this film. The supporting cast of Asha’s family, friends and sidekicks is upwards of ten people, all of whom are of varying races, genders and sizes, placing equality, diversity and inclusivity at the forefront of the film to showcase the company’s core values. At least, what the company would like you to think are their core values. This becomes painstakingly obvious through the number “Knowing What I Know Now”, in which the film makes a point to show the differences in the characters through their blocking.

The issue is, these characters are given so little to do and have such little depth that we simply do not care about a single one of them. Though the filmmakers would like us to believe that these are beliefs, values and causes that the studio care about, they do almost nothing to convince us of that fallacy. Instead, the little bit of character that Asha’s friends are afforded is that each of them are inspired by the dwarfs in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This once again proves that what Disney cares about the most is patting themselves on the back.

Wish essentially only exists as a form of corporate self-fellatio that is as insufferable to watch as it is to write about.

Coming in at only ninety-five minutes, the centenary celebration of Walt Disney Studios moves along at a breakneck pace, showing us that even the execs up at Disney HQ wanted this one to be over just as quickly as we did. This simultaneously illustrates just how little care was put into the story aspects of the film and how Wish is really just one big advertisement for the company that made it. Come the end of the film, a character asks how they could possibly keep the magic of the Kingdom of Rosas alive, to which another responds “easy, just keep wishing.” What Disney are really saying is “keep buying tickets.”

Just as one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, it must be said that among the garbage there are some nuggets of gold in Wish. The story has a really good idea underpinning it, and the film offers a nice opportunity to create a full-circle moment for the “wish upon a star” fable that Disney is essentially built upon. Going back to the hand-drawn aesthetic is also a nice touch, as is making the film a musical. Given more time, care and passion, Wish could have been something special. All it needed was some heart. The lack thereof in the final product tells us more about the company that made it than anything in Wish ever could. 

Wish is a hollow and lazy picture that feeds its audiences the propaganda of Disney, only this time they aren’t even hiding it with the usual magic that pervades throughout their output. Though the kids seeing this film will undoubtedly enjoy it, they deserve better. 

Score: 7/24

Frozen (2013)
Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Screenwriter: Jennifer Lee
Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana, Alan Tudyk

A frozen tundra reveals itself under a dramatic score inspired by Sámi-style singing. A world of jagged ice and frost sparkles under the Aurora Borealis. This is a world of magic, made apparent immediately by the children playing. A young princess, Elsa (Eva Bella) can wield snow from her fingertips. Her non-magical sister only sees the joy in this – gone are the themes of female jealousy that were once a Disney mainstay.

But the joy turns sour as Elsa strikes Anna (Livvy Stubenrauch) with an errant ice surge. Once the kingdom’s magical trolls are consulted and Anna is saved, it is decided that the only thing to do is wipe Anna’s memory and hide Elsa’s gift. Elsa is forced into a life of isolation, concealing her true power. After her parent’s death Anna also becomes subjected to this lonely way of living.

Now Spring, Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel) are grown. They wake equally giddy and nervous that it is coronation day, and their secretive castle has to open its gates to present its new ruler, Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), to the surrounding kingdoms. Two young women without a King around should be easy to take advantage of. Many dignitaries seem to think so anyway.

The stress of the evening affects the sisters in quite different ways. Princess Anna (Kristen Bell) falls head over heels in love with Prince Hans (Santino Fontana), and Elsa (Idina Menzel) goes on an ice spewing rampage, buries Arundel in a thick blanket of snow, and runs into the forest without a coat. Though, rumour is, the cold doesn’t bother her anyway.

Anna (Kristen Bell) entrusts the kingdom to Hans (Santino Fontana) as she strides out into the snow drifts to search for her sister. A chance meeting with ice merchant, Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) changes the course of her journey and of her life.

Remarkably, Frozen (2013) was the first Disney film to be directed by a woman. Jennifer Lee wrote the screenplay and joint-directed (alongside Chris Buck) both Frozen and Frozen II. These films made her the first woman to direct a film that made over $1billion. And Frozen attracted awards like moss on a rock troll’s behind.

Wreck-It Ralph (2012) was Lee’s first screenplay, and was a very clear indicator of Lee’s ability to write Disney princesses with a difference. Vanelope is more like Elsa than most other Disney princesses before her. Both have a potentially dangerous trait that threatens those they love, both need to accept themselves and embrace their power. Both choose to live alone in a castle of their own design.

There is no doubt that Frozen has been an unmitigated success. In fact, the only animated Disney film to beat it at the box office is its own sequel. The franchise has spawned short films, a mini LEGO series, more merchandise than anyone thought possible, a West End Show, and a critically acclaimed sequel (which is arguably better). Frozen became a Disney classic overnight, and it remains as popular as it ever was.

There are many reasons why Frozen appeals to audiences so much. Obviously, beautiful animation, humorous animal (or non-human) sidekicks, adult jokes flying over kids’ heads, and belting tunes are all to be expected of a Disney endeavour. But there is something about Frozen that gives it an edge over its Disney counterparts and has given it this remarkable staying power.

Perhaps it was the decision to have two female protagonists? The traditional fairy tales of yesteryear with damsels in distress are out of vogue. Yes there is distress in Frozen, but these damsels are going to sort it out by themselves. The non-prince charming, Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) is a hugely likeable love interest, but he is not there to fix Anna’s (Kristen Bell) problems, and no one but Anna can save Elsa (Idina Menzel).

By having two female protagonists, Disney have allowed the more traditionally klutzy, hopeful romantic Anna to tick the boxes for fans nostalgic of the golden era. While Elsa is aromantic, empowered, a warrior. She just has to learn to love and trust. By splintering the facets of a traditional Disney princess, the creative team managed to create something with a wider appeal.

Disney has always been divided into two distinct categories: princess stories marketed at girls, and non-human (cars, toys, animals, elements) stories marketed at both girls and boys. Even with the more modern attitudes of audiences today this hasn’t really changed. If you look at it cynically, girls can be expected to enjoy stories with boys in while boys are not expected to enjoy the stories of girls. While the leads are women in Frozen, there is a strong supporting cast of male characters. Roguish Kristoff, reindeer Sven and magical snowman Olaf (Josh Gad – a man whose expressive and distinctive voice was made for animation) add humour and allow the film to be marketed at both boys and girls. There are monsters, wolves and bogey jokes aplenty for those who are less interested in love and all that mushy stuff.

Another strength of the film is the moving part of the villain. Up to the high note of “Let it Go”, we would be forgiven for thinking perhaps Elsa is the baddie. She doesn’t let Anna live her life, curses a kingdom to freeze to death, and sculpts ice weapons with a glint in her eye. The twist in Frozen, as the audience realises where the real threat lies, is up there with The Sixth Sense or The Usual Suspects. Nearly.

The past decade has seen Disney (and Disney Pixar) films shift to reflect the more progressive tastes of its audiences. Big Hero Six (2014), Inside Out (2015), Moana (2016), Luca (2021), Encanto (2021), and Turning Red (2022) are all coming-of-age stories that explore complex themes of grief, self-worth, difference, and acceptance, with barely a whisper of a love interest among them. While huge successes, none of them have managed the dizzying heights of Elsa’s success. But it is a fair suggestion that Elsa paved the way for these films of empowerment and learning to love yourself.

Frozen is a universal film with themes that are far reaching and enduring. Elsa shot to the top spot, and no matter what she says, she’s showing no signs of letting it go.

Score: 20/24

The studio’s now iconic brand of 3D computer animation changed studio animation across the world forever, even causing industry leaders Disney to change from 2D into 3D over the course of the 2000s. Among Pixar’s many hits and acclaimed award winners are Toy Story, the film that changed it all, and Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, Wall-E, Up, Coco, and Soul.

In this edition of Ranked, we here at the Film Magazine have teamed our writers up to complete a joint ranking of Pixar Animation Studios’ feature offerings, judging each film in terms of enjoyability, resonance, longevity, critical acclaim, and artistry.

Written by Mark Carnochan (MC), Jacob Davis (JD), Katie Doyle (KD), Martha Lane (ML), Sam Sewell-Peterson (SSP), and Joseph Wade (JW), these are the Pixar Animation Movies Ranked.

Follow @thefilmagazine on X (Twitter).

27. Lightyear (2022)

Budget: $200million
Box Office: $226.4million
Director: Angus MacLane

Coming out of the lockdown era that had forced many Pixar releases directly to Disney Plus (thus skewing their box office totals), the so-called “2nd Disney Studio” needed a big win with Lightyear that just didn’t come. It barely made its budget back, and with promotional costs taken into account actually made a loss for its parent company. The film was Toy Story, but not quite; a spin-off origin narrative explaining what the Buzz Lightyear toy was based on, a movie from the world of the Toy Story movies. In it, Buzz Lightyear (Chris Evans) fought a mysterious power-hungry evil force, finding his own ragtag group on a quest across galaxies to cement himself as a legend and save humankind.

Conceptually, Lightyear isn’t unlike many other Pixar movies: an underappreciated but cocky hero is humbled before achieving greatness with the only people (or creatures) that are willing to put up with him. This in-movie predictability, paired with the lack of clarity pre-release regarding exactly what Lightyear was, curtailed all of the usual Toy Story-universe excitement. It looks shiny, and some high-contrast space battles make for stunning sequences, while there is enough by way of stakes and twists to ensure an enjoyable time, but Lightyear was a cash-in and people could sense it; an expensive version of those direct-to-video Disney movies from the 1990s.

JW

26. Cars 3 (2017)

Budget: $175million
Box Office: $383.9million
Director: Brian Fee

By 2017, the only reason Pixar were forcing out new Cars instalments is because parent company Disney wanted some of those sweet merchandise profits. In 2011, following the release of Cars 2, Pixar revealed that the Cars franchise had made the company more than $10billion; current figures aren’t available, but even with a large curtailing of revenue, this franchise would be one of the most profitable film franchises of all time. In this fairly inconsequential film, Lightning McQueen plays the archetypal old sportsperson inspired to return for one last shot at glory. It isn’t quite Rocky Balboa, which isn’t even exceptional in the first place, but some of the animation is leaps beyond what was on offer in the first film.

Those charged with gifting this cash-grab with some kind of meaning or heart certainly tried – a feminist subplot indicated society’s advances in representation (both in sports and movies) in the decade since the original film and McQueen’s return to the spotlight held weight for those who enjoyed the original Cars movies – but these strangely designed cars were seemingly only ever destined for children’s bedrooms, the imaginations of those who played with the toys far outliving the impact or influence of this less-than stellar Pixar offering.

JW

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That seemed to be the only story on offer.

Your goodies were good, and your baddies were downright evil, there was no context or grey areas. Female jealousy seemed to be enough to turn a queen into a witch. The villains in early Disney were quite often women. Jealous and catty, sure, but so powerful. Rich and assured of themselves. What a great aspiration for the young girls of the 40s and 50s. Their employment opportunities were terrible, but they felt confident they could rock a cape and pair of horns.

Nowadays, the offerings from Disney are more progressive, and much more representative. Encanto (2021), Luca (2021), Strange World (2022) and Turning Red (2022) certainly explored complex and diverse storylines and characters, especially when compared to the studio’s earlier offerings. And while modern Disney princesses are still often found in ballgowns, young audiences are well-accustomed to them being adorned with weaponry as well.

So, what does a child with a decidedly modern palate make of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Cinderella (1950) and Sleeping Beauty (1959)? While they continue to be favourites for many Disney fans, it is easy to argue that there isn’t much about them for a feminist… or a nine-year-old who’s being raised by a feminist (let’s call her E).

Up until this point, E hasn’t seen these particular films because there just seemed a bit too much cleaning up after men, falling head over heels with them before anyone’s got to know anyone properly, and getting kissed while unable to give consent for it, to be a suitable tale for a 21^st Century lass.

Will the films prove E’s mother wrong? Or will they be the heteronormative, stereotype-riddled dinosaurs she suspects them to be? Will E be swept along by the romance of it all and demand to watch on repeat forever more?

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Snow White and Seven Dwarfs Review

When Disney released Snow White in 1937, it became an instant classic, and to this day it remains critically acclaimed and revered as one of the greatest animated films of all time. Snow White became lore and left ripples of influence through every Disney film that followed.

‘You can tell that’s drawn,’ was the first thing E had to say about Snow White (1937). This is actually a selling point of the movie, the incredible feat of the animators who crafted each image (up to twenty-four for every second of film) and created that beautiful, dreamlike effect. But for a kid whose first Disney experience at the cinema was Inside Out (2015), Snow White might as well be carved in stone.

The second thing the modern miss could not get her head around was the clipped affected tones of a 1930s Hollywood starlet. In fact, the story of Adriana Caselotti’s employment is particularly unfeminist too. Disney blocked her from other voice work so not to disrupt the illusion of Snow White. E struggled so much with the willowy wisp of her voice that subtitles had to be employed. The explanation that some women used to make themselves sound like that to be more appealing just didn’t compute.

‘But why?’

One extremely troublesome line in the film is ‘I’m so ashamed of the fuss I’ve made.’ This is uttered immediately after someone our heroine trusted has attempted to murder her. Fortunately, E was still so concerned about the voice that she hadn’t quite focused in on what was being said yet. It is hard to imagine Esmeralda or Anna saying anything quite as timid.

Snow White is at least proportionately realistic for a thirteen-year-old girl, which in a world of Barbies, Auroras, Belles and Elsas, is definitely worth something. Snow’s sensible eyes should get a mention here too, something the later princesses lack. It’s a wonder that Rapunzel can keep her head up, quite frankly.

In films that followed after, the magic of true love’s kiss is acknowledged, it’s mentioned, it’s prescribed. Because Snow White was the first, that means that Prince Charming, apropos of nothing, went out for a stroll and snogged a girl he thought was dead. How romantic.

Because E has seen those subsequent films, she knows that true love’s kiss will wake you from a poison apple coma (duh), so she wasn’t too perturbed by the notion of the prince kissing Snow. Her mother still doesn’t like it though.

The thing that struck E was that there were lots of boys in it, ‘even though it’s for girls.’ She has obviously never been told that Snow White is for girls, but she has been in Primark, she knows the boy section doesn’t have hoodies with Snow White, Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty on them, so she knows it’s not for them…

Cinderella (1950)

Cinderella (1950) is another film where the leading lady falls head over implausibly-tiny-heels in love with her guy within moments of meeting him. But at least she speaks to him before he shoves his tongue down her throat. To be fair, he seems equally besotted.

Cinderella is far sassier than Snow White, but does the film fare any better under the watchful eye of E and her reluctant mother?

While Cinderella is vocal about her unhappiness, she is entirely dependent on whether the men in her life can rescue her. Whether that’s a prince, a mouse or a dog. Cinderella has little autonomy besides deciding whether to change Anastasia’s sheets before Drizella’s, or not. But that is something.

Actually, E didn’t really see the sexist stereotypes at play in Cinderella (1950). Maybe this is because she has been raised in a house that constantly refutes them, or simply because she has had the choice to see Disney women lead armies across China, fight ice monsters, choose not to marry, or break family curses through sheer stubbornness. Watching a woman in a domestic role is a rarity for her, so it literally can’t be a stereotype.

She didn’t see the mouse saying ‘leave the sewing for the women’ as problematic, only that those women must be better at sewing than those particular men. Her mother felt Gus Gus could probably have had a crack at it – he would’ve probably still been better than Flora, Fauna or Merryweather.

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

In one of the earlier text versions of Sleeping Beauty, the young woman is actually woken by her baby breastfeeding. Her second baby born since she’d been put to sleep by the curse. While the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty (1959) does have a more PG wake up routine, there is still a palpable lack of consent (unless betrothal counts?). Like Cinderella, at least Aurora had met and spoken briefly to Philip before deciding that he was the one for her. And unlike Snow White’s Charming, Philip is told explicitly that his kiss will wake the princess and restore the kingdom. Slightly less gross. Also, pressure.

E found Sleeping Beauty (1959) ‘a bit too lovey’ and ‘quite boring.’ For children used to ‘Minecraft’ Creepers, and those mind-bending goggles from Incredibles II, Maleficent’s raven doesn’t quite bring the chills it might have done in the sixties. If the main peril doesn’t feel perilous, and the main thing driving the protagonist (falling in love) isn’t exciting enough, then the film is going to fall flat.

On the face of it, Sleeping Beauty (1959), has more to offer. Dragons, sword fights and sarcastic fairies. But, of the three films, Aurora has the least autonomy. Yes, Snow’s choices were bad – never take apples from obviously evil crones in the woods – but they were her own. Whereas Aurora doesn’t decide to be cursed, she doesn’t decide to leave her family home and bunk in the woods for 16 years, she doesn’t decide to prick her finger on a spindle, and she doesn’t even get to decide when she wakes up. The one thing she does decide is that she is madly in love with the first man she ever meets. A 2D character in every sense of the word.

Sleeping Beauty also seems to be the turning point for the animators’ choice to make these teenaged princesses figures hourglass and unattainable. True, Cinders looks smashing in her gown but looks slightly more realistic in her brown smock. Aurora’s forest garb seems to include a corset.

But why?

There is something almost pure about watching early Disney, when the films were the focus. The stories were the only thing on offer. Watching these three films with a modern child was interesting, not that E had particularly nuanced wisdom to share but because they really proved how far Disney has come. E has no interest in watching Snow White or Sleeping Beauty ever again (a damning review), which suggests that they don’t offer what a growing girl needs. It might also suggest that her mother was vindicated in thinking these films were unsuitable.

Nowadays, it’s harder to separate out Disney films from the commercialism that comes with them. Is another Toy Story needed, or is it just an excuse to sell toys? But given that children have got content coming at them from so many sources, the films the studio produces have to be incredible. They have to be capable of grabbing attention that is pulled in many directions. Even with awkward product placement and exorbitant park prices, the stories have developed and continued to be a spectacle (Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014), aside). Not only do the films have to be engaging, they have to be engaged. Modern films have to reflect modern appetites and sentiments.

It’s always good to acknowledge what came before. Cinderella waltzed so that Merida could run. Kids learning to love Disney films today get to access worlds with stories that stretch far beyond romantic love and castles. And that can only be a good thing. Much to E’s mother’s chagrin, Snow White, Cinderella and Aurora will never be fully obsolete. Nostalgia will keep them alive for generations to come. Just perhaps not in E’s house.

Recommended for you: Animated Disney Villains Ranked

They’ve come in many guises over the years, from the monarchical to the Machiavellian, monsters to muscle men, sorcerers, schemers and step-parents. And they have shown levels of genius, incompetence and everything in between in their efforts to thwart our heroes. But they are always without fail ambitious, self-serving and strangely compelling.

In a world of promoting good virtues to children, good must always triumph over evil. And so, Disney villains can’t be left to return and cause havoc another day (unless it’s in an inconsequential direct-to-video sequel) and so usually meet their maker in one of a variety of inventive and sometimes gruesome ways.

If the Disney Princess is the most merchandisable element of the Disney canon, then the villains are a close second and inspire even more fervour among adult fans, perhaps because they’re usually more flawed and interesting than the heroes and especially when so many are (intentionally or not) queer-coded, fabulously designed and played with gusto by talented voice actors giving it their all. 

For this edition of Ranked, we at The Film Magazine have taken every significant villain to be found in Disney animation and ordered them in terms of wickedness, memorability and the threat they represent to our heroes and heroines. So practice your diabolical laughter, rehearse your evil monologue, dust off your best purple attire and enjoy Animated Disney Villains Ranked. 

Follow @thefilmagazine on X (Twitter).

36. King Candy – Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

The ruler of arcade racing video game Sugar Rush who is actually Turbo, the resentful title character of a long-disconnected game.

Alan Tudyk has been Disney’s good luck charm in recent years and delivers a manic performance here as a mascot-gone-wrong, but the vocals have to do most of the work to enliven a baddie who’s just not interesting enough to match the heroes.

Demise by: Destroyed by the collapse of Diet Cola Mountain with the addition of Mentos.

35. Prince Hans – Frozen (2013)

A seemingly classic Prince Charming who is actually conspiring to eliminate both heirs to the Arendelle throne and claim it for himself.

Hans is a duplicitous, generic British-accented baddie revealed in the film’s final act, who gets some bonus evil points for taking advantage of Princess Anna’s emotions the way he does, purely to advance himself.

Demise by: Survives but is arrested and banished for his treachery.

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34. Alameda Slim – Home on the Range (2004)

An evil cattle rustler and conman who plans to cheat every rancher he can find out of their land.

Randy Quaid’s growling delivery and the character’s hilariously unconvincing Inspector Clouseau-level disguises aside, what makes Alameda Slim stand out is that he’s a rare villain who uses a combination of theft, foreclosure and cow-hypnotising yodelling to get what he wants.

Demise by: Survives, but his schemes and true identity as a rustler are exposed and the reward for his arrest is claimed.

33. Dr Jumba Jookiba – Lilo & Stitch (2002)

An alien mad scientist on the hunt for his dangerous but cute creation on Earth on the orders of the council who imprisoned him for his work.

Dr Jumba is probably the only character who never underestimates the cute blue title character because he was the one who genetically engineered “Experiment 626” and is fully aware of his destructive capabilities. He finds himself lower down this list for being bumbling and for having a late change of heart, eventually helping to protect Stitch when the council’s military arrives to complete his mission with extreme prejudice.

Demise by: Survives to live a fairly happy exile alongside Stitch on Earth.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Director: Henry Selick
Screenwriter: Caroline Thompson
Starring: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens, Ken Page, Edward Ivory

If a single word can be used to describe “Tim Burton’s” The Nightmare Before Christmas, it would be “alternative”. Released two years before Pixar’s Toy Story, it was Disney’s first feature-length animated film to not be produced in the traditional animation style, though Disney initially had the film released under their sister company Touchstone Pictures as they thought the film to be too frightening for young children. In the past three decades, The Nightmare Before Christmas has become the alternative watch at Christmas for those of a spookier disposition, whilst at Halloween it has been the perfect choice for those who can’t stomach hardcore horrors. Lead character Jack Skellington has become the unofficial mascot of alternative goth/emo kids, with Jack’s spooky face peering out of all manner of black clothes, rucksacks, mugs, etc. – how convenient of Disney to end Nightmare‘s banishment once they realised how much money they could make from it through merchandise.

The Nightmare Before Christmas started as a poem by Tim Burton (inspired by a department store’s hasty changing of the Halloween decorations to Christmas ones), which he pitched to Disney whilst he was working for them as an animator in the 1980s. It was quickly rejected by them, though they soon changed their tune after he left and directed the successful blockbuster Batman (1989). After the adaptation of the original poem by Michael McDowell, Caroline Thompson fleshed out the bare bones story into something of an almost mythological quality.

The brief prologue informs us that we are going to learn where holidays come from, before we are taken through a door with a pumpkin on it. Jack Skellington is the king of the pumpkin patch and is the figurehead of Halloweentown, the place responsible for carrying out Halloween celebrations in the human world. After another massively successful Halloween, Jack is showered with praise but he is left feeling empty. Achieving everything he can through his frightening prowess, he is left wishing to do more as he takes a solemn walk through the woods. After wandering all night, he comes across the other holiday doors, and after one catches his eye he tumbles headfirst into the bright and snowy world of Christmastown.

Completely enamoured with all of the sights and sounds of Christmas, he can’t help but to desperately try and understand more about the Christmas Holiday. However, Jack’s natural spookiness means he struggles to grasp the true nature of Christmas; in this quest to understand this new fantasy, Jack decides that Halloweentown should take over the Christmas celebrations this year, turning the season into a wholly horrifying and macabre affair.

It is still greatly debated whether The Nightmare Before Christmas is truly Tim Burton’s. He is credited as producer and the author of the original idea, but it was very much Henry Selick in the director’s chair and Caroline Thompson behind the typewriter. He was not a constant presence in the animation house, only popping into the San Francisco studios a few times a year. His original poem only outlined three characters in the film (Jack, Zero and Santa Claus), whilst it was McDowell’s and Thompson’s writing, alongside the creativity of the animators, that produced the bulk of the monsters and ghouls that inhabit Halloweentown. Burton’s influence and supervision is, however, evident within the gothic artistic style directly inspired by his original sketches, which is comparable to his other animated works such as Corpse Bride and Frankenweenie. He also very much had the final word when it came to the script – after he was told the original intended ending, he hated it so much he had to leave the room to kick a hole in the wall.

The most important influence Tim Burton had on The Nightmare Before Christmas was leaving Danny Elfman in charge of its music. Writing most of the principle songs before the script was finalised using the brief story points of Burton’s poem, Elfman stacked 10 distinct songs into the 76-minute runtime, transforming the movie into a veritable opera. Through Elfman’s musical prowess and emotional intelligence, a great deal of heart was put into the songwriting process, with Elfman confessing that he strongly empathised with Jack’s character. Being a member of the band Oingo Boingo, Elfman achieved massive success but was beginning to feel fatigued and was feeling the temptation of a change in work. Using this self-reflection and his own vocal talent (after asking Burton for Jack’s role), Elfman’s musical direction transformed The Nightmare Before Christmas from something akin to a Halloween TV Special into high art.

The exquisite quality of the music accentuates the other highlights of the production, and as the film behaves like an opera, most of the crucial plot points and characterisation are contained within it. Fan favourites “This is Halloween” and “What’s This” draw attention to the creativity of the art design of the different holiday locations: Christmastown is straight out of Dr Seuss whilst Halloweentown is an homage to the greats of German Expressionism, filled with the most delightfully gruesome inhabitants.

The operatic style of the storytelling is what makes Nightmare a modern fairy tale. The story is extremely economical with initially little motivation given for the characters’ moods and actions: Jack wants more than just frightening people because he says so in “Jack’s Lament”; Sally loves Jack because she sings that she does so in “Sally’s Song”. In this simplicity, they become the mythical creatures straight out of ‘tales as old as time’. Given the charm instilled by the vocalisation achieved by the cast, particularly by Catherine O’Hara as Shock and Sally, it is no wonder that after 30 years these characters are still adored. A great demonstration of the masterful orchestration of the talents of voice and animation is “Oogie Boogie’s Song”, in which Ken Page has the time of his life bringing to life one of Disney’s coolest villains with his casino-style lair being one of the most memorable in the history of stop motion animation.

In the 30 years since its release, stop motion animation has come along in leaps and bounds. It may lack the smoothness of more recent Laika releases, but such imperfections only add to a film with bags of charm. With this passage of time, it becomes more clearly evident that The Nightmare Before Christmas was a flash of lightning captured in a bottle. With the support of Tim Burton, Selick’s burgeoning aspirations, Elfman’s earnestness, and a cast of Burton favourites, The Nightmare Before Christmas remains the most perfect little Halloween treat for all to see. Jack Skellington is not just the King of the Pumpkin Patch, after 30 years he is the King of the Goths.

Score: 23/24

Ratatouille (2007)
Directors: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava
Screenwriter: Brad Bird
Starring: Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano, Peter O’Toole, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo, Ian Holm, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, Brad Bird

Who could have predicted the sheer brilliance and originality that bursts out of a movie which stars a rodent with dreams of becoming a chef? If you’re yet to see the masterpiece that is Ratatouille (2007), the premise will seem entirely bizarre, but in that lies the answer to this Pixar release’s global success.

Today, Disney’s Pixar is a household name and a critically acclaimed company. Back in 2007, the studio had fewer than 10 features under their belt, though all were well-respected animated offerings. Ratatouille (2007) followed the release of classics like Toy Story (1995), Monsters, Inc. (2001) and Finding Nemo (2003). Pixar were simply outdoing themselves time and time again. Ratatouille would prove to be their eighth success in a row. The film, directed by Brad Bird, is now the seventh highest-grossing Pixar film of all time; it is one of Pixar’s biggest success stories.

Filled with witty French sarcasm and an abundance of iconic imagery, it is hard to think about food without thinking of the ‘little chef’ hidden under Linguini’s toque. The animation team behind Ratatouille proved that they had refined their skills since the studio’s first release, providing us with beautiful visuals and breathtaking details in every frame. From the gorgeously animated Parisian skyline to the immense attention when curating hundreds of scurrying rats, it is hard to believe Pixar only had nine months to animate the entire 111-minute feature. Ratatouille (2007) transports us into the life of a rat, being small but feared, harnessing skills learned from A Bug’s Life (1998) to build an entire world that humans would never usually get to experience.

Pixar combine their sheer brilliance when it comes to animation with an outstanding pack of unique voice actors. Patton Oswalt lends his voice to Remy, known for his comedic timing and goofy undertone. Oswalt is undeniably likeable, offering a self-assured but never prickly persona. Alongside Lou Romano as clumsy human side-kick Alfredo Linguini, Brad Garrett as the almighty voice of reason Gusteau, and the iconic Peter O’Toole as the sinister villian Anton Ego, the cast overdelivers. As a group, they present distinct stylings that embody the very essence of their characters and add to the film’s overall charm.

This film is a whimsical display of encouragement and belief: if Remy the rat can achieve his dreams and work through adversity, so can you. Pixar encourage this inner self belief in many of their features – Up (2009), Brave (2013) and Luca (2021), to name a few. Ratatouille (2007) asks you to look past what’s on the outside and embrace what lies beneath. Remy’s relationship with Linguini evolves into one of the most adorable duos in Pixar history. Their love and admiration for one another ensures Ratatouille is one of the most human stories, despite the lead character being a rat.

Director Brad Bird was hot-off-the-press from his 2004 success The Incredibles when he co-directed Ratatouille. From the outside it is hard to see the similarities between the two films, but they both champion showcasing your talents, embracing your own ability and sharing that ability with other people. Remy is encouraged to hide in the shadows and suppress his passion for food just as Mr. Incredible must hide his true self from the public. Both characters have a deep passion but have been ridiculed or judged by the world, resulting in doubt and disbelief. Of course, both features showcase the journey to relative greatness.

Composer Michael Giacchino, whose music you’ve heard in The Incredibles (2004), Up (2009), Inside Out (2015) and Coco (2017), won a Grammy for his work on Ratatouille (2007) along with a nomination for Best Original Score at the Academy Awards. Adding French flair to orchestral sounds with guitars, violins and even an accordion, the score has the power to independently tell a story without any added visuals.

The most impactful sound from the feature’s score is the title song ‘Le Festin’, (meaning ‘The Feast’ in English), which brings to life the soul of France with the effortless voice of French artist Camille. Catapulting audiences into the world of Ratatouille within an instant, Giacchino composes thematically, using the primary themes from the film to curate his music; each theme present in the text is accompanied by music that elevates the movie to a whole new level.

And like leaving the best mouth full until last, all of this hard work and dedication allows Ratatouille to present the most mouth-watering food you’ll ever see on screen – you can almost smell the French cuisine.

Ratatouille (2007) is a film about identity. People may judge or discriminate against you due to your appearance or background, but what truly matters is what’s inside. This film has unlocked the secret ingredient to producing a timeless classic, everyone has the potential to follow their dreams and succeed… even Parisian rats.

Score: 24/24

Written by Lydia Bowen-Williams

Website: Film Probe

Steamboat Willie (1928)
Directors: Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney
Screenwriters: Walt Disney, Ub Iwerks
Starring: Walt Disney, Charlotte Jamquie

It all started with a rabbit. That’s right, around a year before Mickey, Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit who, despite starring in dozens of shorts, was unceremoniously ditched in favour of another anthropomorphic animal character Disney could retain control of because of a series of fascinating legal wrangles and rights issues with Universal. Almost a full century on, how does Disney’s game-changing breakthrough cartoon short that introduced Mickey to his public hold up?

Mickey Mouse works on a steamboat under the gruff Captain Pete. On his way down the river transporting livestock, he picks up his girlfriend Minnie Mouse and puts on an unusual impromptu musical performance involving all of the farm animals on the boat.

Steamboat Willie is proclaimed proudly in the opening credits as a “A Mickey Mouse sound cartoon”, setting out Disney’s character branding and chief selling point from the off. Technically this isn’t Mickey’s first appearance, as Plane Crazy was made and previewed first, but Steamboat Willie was the first Disney cartoon to see a wide release and essentially helped put Disney (appropriately sometimes today known as the “House of Mouse”) on the map.

About the only major studio to keep the tradition of a short film preceding the main feature alive during cinema exhibition is Pixar, which has of course become a subsidiary of Disney. As a reference to its past, for the longest time an image of Mickey whistling from this short was the production logo for Disney Animation Studios, but when cinema hit mass popularity with the invention of synchronised sound in the late 1920s, it was standard practice for every studio to produce short subjects and B-movies in support of their main events.

Clearly revolutionary for its time, capitalising on the incoming synchronised sound revolution caused by the release of The Jazz Singer, Steamboat Willie introduces increasingly elaborate musicality during its 8-minute runtime. This really emphasises Disney’s talent as a businessman, his ability to spot the next big thing to capitalise on, as well as his need to step back from animation, giving way to cartoonists like Iwerks for the good of the company. 

No matter how cartoony and unrealistic this short is, to the modern eye it’s difficult not to notice how much (admittedly creative) animal cruelty is employed by Mickey just to make music. He turns the tail of a goat who has swallowed sheet music to use it as a gramophone, he strikes at a cow’s teeth to improvise a xylophone, and he pulls on suckling piglets’ tails to make them squeal to add another musical layer. You can’t help but think of the classic Monty Python sketch where Terry Jones is hitting a row of mice with a hammer to produce a musical scale and is forcibly dragged off midway through by his shocked onlookers. 

We should probably reference the links to minstrel shows here. Taking a minstrel musical standard (“Turkey in the Straw”, which had a much more offensive original title that won’t be repeated here) and using hallmarks of the morally dubious entertainment style in Mickey’s appearance, from his white gloves to his exaggerated body language, can’t be ignored given early cinema’s links to vaudeville and sideshow attractions, but nor is this a call to “cancel” Mickey. 

You have to acknowledge that Steamboat Willie is 95 years old, and looks it. Ub Iwerks was the master of the stretch-squash cartoon with a slightly surreal, mischievous edge, but the burgeoning Disney Studio had a way to go before their moving drawings transitioned from curiosities to magic. Sometimes the animation looks cheap and rushed, and is mostly held together by sheer exuberance and the clever matching of cartoony ideas to the building musical accompaniment.

Steamboat Willie is a fascinating artefact of film history and remains a pretty enjoyable way of spending just under ten minutes of your time. It’s certainly not polished and overall quality-wise it’s solidly in the middle of the Mickey Mouse canon, but a first step is always an important one, and the ideas tried out here cleared the way for many years of escapist amusement for audiences of all ages.

Score: 18/24

Recommended for you: Disney Renaissance Movies Ranked

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)
Directors: Jeff Rowe, Kyler Spears
Screenwriters: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jeff Rowe
Starring: Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr, Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Ayo Ediberi, John Cena, Ice Cube, Maya Rudolph, Seth Rogan, Jackie Chan, Rose Byrne, Natasha Demetriou, Paul Rudd

We all know the story…

Fifteen years ago a scientist carelessly dropped some ooze down the sewers. A rat and four baby turtles mutated and learned some martial arts. Deciding to stay in the sewers, fearful of the reception they might receive from the human world, they surface only to fight crime. And to order pizza.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is the latest offering in a nearly forty-year franchise. Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo and Leonardo have been through many iterations since their creation in the 1980s. Many parents of children flocking to the cinemas for this latest reincarnation would have grown up watching the original cartoon and possibly had an action figure or two. It seems likely that co-writer Seth Rogen and the other creative forces behind Mutant Mayhem did.

This incarnation is a love letter to the Ninja Turtles of the past, while creating something new, fresh, and completely captivating.

The soundtrack and reference points – Vanilla Ice (an easter egg for fans of 1991’s TMNT II: The Secret of Ooze), 4 Non Blondes, Blackstreet, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and a well-placed Cowabunga – amp up the nostalgia, appealing to the adults who grew up loving the pizza-chowing foursome. Meanwhile, modern jokes and stylistic choices plant it firmly in the present day, perfect for a 21^st Century audience.

The turtles in Mutant Mayhem are believable teens, played so brilliantly by Micah Abbey, Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, and Shamon Brown Jr. They are gawky and hormonal, voices cracking and doe-eyed, sarcastic, and wilful. Splinter (Jackie Chan) has taught them martial arts – from YouTube tutorials naturally – as a means of self-defence. Unlike the original cartoons where Splinter was a Charlie figure to his reptilian Angels, Chan’s Splinter is an anxious father who wants his children to stay as far away from what might hurt them as possible.

But what is life without a bit of hurt?

Enter April. Ayo Ediberi’s impressive back catalogue of leftfield, grown up comedy makes her the perfect casting for the up-to-date investigative reporter. April is now portrayed as a teen herself, awkward and desperate to be liked. She’s funny, accepting, and instrumental in the turtles’ development from secret sewer slinkers to bona fide heroes. And, boy, does New York need a hero or four. Super-villain, Superfly (Ice Cube), is a mastermind, stealing top secret equipment in order to build a device to mutantise the entire planet. If only there was a motley crew to stop him.

The ensemble cast, many of whom Rogen has worked with before, has a collective CV the size of a skyscraper. They are all major players in comedy, action and animation. But these well-seasoned actors, such as Paul Rudd, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne and John Cena, actually play the characters who only have a few lines each. The lion’s share is done by the younger, less experienced crew, and it works so well. The big names help to sell the movie, but really it is paving the way for younger talent as much as it is for younger audiences.

The animation style of Mutant Mayhem is unique and beautiful, reminiscent of comic book illustrations. Mikros Animation is the studio behind it, the same studio that worked on PAW Patrol: The Movie (2021), The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020), Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017), and Little Prince (2015). While all these animation styles are different to each other, there is a similarity in the way they stand out from the stylings of Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks and Illumination. Mutant Mayhem is a cut above the rest though, a heady swirl of dark brooding colours lit up by neon ooze and streetlamps. The fight scenes are beautifully choreographed and the editing snappy and interesting.

What the film does so brilliantly too, is to ramp up the ridiculous just enough to remove any real terror for younger audiences. Of which there will be plenty. Superfly’s (Ice Cube) final mutation is genuinely very funny as he rampages through the city and gives the turtles a run for their money. The film has managed the challenging feat of being suitable for a five-year-old while also portraying peril and graphic violence.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is warm, enjoyable, laugh out loud funny. It possibly borders on slightly too saccharine and sentimental at times, but a swift punchline is always waiting in the wings to regain some balance. It is a fantastic reboot of a well-loved but often maligned franchise.

Score: 21/24